I see similarities in that both a goal and a project are outcome driven and both can be checked off when they are done.

Is the only difference in the terms a matter of how long it takes to complete?

If I planned to retire in January 2015, does my goal become a project in january 2014 just by virtue of the calendar or is there some other factor?

If I had that as a goal, it would drive projects related to finances, health care, activity in retirement, et cetera. A 30,000 foot goal has a horizon of perhaps 1-2 years and drives projects, so it's a 30K goal.

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Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with "goals" but have hundreds of "projects". I have projects that can span decades, maybe they are really goals but I treat them like single projects. They do often spawn multiple projects. But then I assume that my "project" was really an area of focus.

30K stuff is still a big muddle for me. I have a good handle on the runway, project and area of focus sections and also a good handle on the life purpose but not much at the middle levels makes sense in my world.

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My definition of a project is almost purely mechanical, based on the theory that a project (1) will require more than one action to reach completion and (2) should have a single Next Action at any given time.

If something requires one and only one action, it goes in a single action list somewhere.

If it will require several actions but it feels "right" for those actions to be worked sequentially, rather than simultaneously, then it's a project.

If it will require several different sequential streams of actions, and I want more than one of those streams to be progressing at the same time, then it's multiple projects. Those multiple projects may all point toward a single goal, though I may or may not record that relationship.

So it's both about the structure of the goal/project, and how I want to work it. If my goal is, say, "Become a more expert seamstress", but that's a low-key goal right now and I don't have much time for it, then I might just create one project with one Next Action, and that project might bumble along for months and years as I work individual actions. On the other hand, if that's a really important goal to me, then it could spawn any number of projects that I eagerly work in parallel:

Some of those projects might be sub-goals for bigger projects--for example, all three of the above could be prep for creating a glorious pair of tweed trousers with Hong Kong-finished seams and a partial lining made of silk georgette. Or they could just be separate skills with no immediate relationship.

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In purely operational terms I suppose you might say that there need not be much difference, although different people are different.

Personally, I like to have "all if it" summarized as 10-20 list items of comparable importance (in my left menu). In my case, those will be:

- major projects
- goals, visions, directions of major change
- AoRs for regular ongoing stuff (regular and small projects)

I find that I seldom have much use for an exhaustive mile-long list of every single "GTD micro-project" (multi-step little "task"). It is enough for me to see those in their natural "habitat".

Instead, I really do appreciate - it gives me a sense of control and "a mind like water" - having the totality summarized in this balanced and more graspable list (20 items or less), regardless of whether these items are projects, goals or something else.